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“I don’t have time to play with you anymore.”

Wagner finally lost his patience, raising his hand lightly.

【Cloudkill】

A rolling wave of yellow-green poisonous gas surged forward. The players tried to disperse it with wind spells, but the gas was too deadly. Even the slightest contact caused their skin to rot.

When the yellow-green poison enveloped them, even players protected by defensive spells were instantly reduced to mutilated corpses under the corrosive fog.

The potted plant that Flying Witch had transformed into withered instantly upon contact with 【Cloudkill】.

The 【Magic Coins】 guild was completely wiped out.

There is a gap even among mages, and this was a demonstration of the absolute disparity in spellcasting ability. Even a simple Magic Missile differs drastically in the hands of an archmage versus an apprentice mage—in game terms, this is the concept of casting capability.

—An archmage’s missile could bring down a dragon, while an apprentice’s might not even kill a trained goblin.

As the players perished, Wagner didn’t leave. Instead, he stood motionless, displaying the cautious demeanor of a rational mage, far removed from his rumored insanity.

Half an hour passed, and he continued to wait.

The broken bodies emitted faint sounds, first dissolving into tiny light particles before disappearing completely.

A ghostly blue glow flickered in Wagner’s eyes as he murmured gravely, “My divination spells show nothing—only a void. This kind of teleportation doesn’t even produce spatial ripples, as if…”

“They don’t belong to this world.”

“These so-called players must be backed by something extraordinary.”

Wagner’s raspy voice trembled, his body shaking violently. A chilling wind inexplicably swept through the tower, causing his black robes to flutter dramatically.

“Hahaha…”

“Hahahahaha! Once I truly master the power of dragons and claim that berserk strength, I’ll drag you all out!”

“And then, not one of you will escape.”

His eyes burned with frenzied zeal, his grotesque face twitching with excitement.

At Northwind Fortress, in the Council Hall.

A red dragon lay sprawled on a massive iron throne, its body rising and falling with its breathing, occasionally exhaling sulfurous heat.

The steel beneath its body had turned red-hot from the unconscious transmission of its internal heat. A normal person sitting there would have been roasted alive. White smoke filled the hall, magma bubbled beneath the ground, and the scene resembled a hellish inferno brought to life.

Cassius activated 【Kingdom Domain】, enveloping the hall in an invisible force that stabilized the chaotic weave. The raging fire elements instantly calmed, the scorching air cooled, and the inferno-like hall returned to its original state, leaving only blackened, solidified magma.

“Phew, almost lost control of my power again.”

“I can’t keep sleeping in this city. I wonder how much longer until my palace is ready.”

Cassius slowly opened his eyes, a glint of relief in his golden pupils.

He didn’t want to accidentally turn Northwind Fortress into a molten wasteland while sleeping. This city had become the political and economic hub of the Ember Kingdom, and its destruction would deal a heavy blow to the nation.

Beside him, a magical mirror glimmered faintly but was suppressed by the domain’s power—it was Langpu requesting an audience.

Cassius casually lifted the restriction on the domain, allowing the ogre’s distorted face to reappear in the magical projection.

Langpu wore a respectful expression tinged with solemnity.

“My esteemed master.”

“What is it?”

“I have carried out your instructions to assign investigation tasks. In recent days, the Fallen Stars have repeatedly ventured into the Polar Night Demon Tower, bringing back valuable intelligence for the Kingdom. I’ve compiled information on the tower’s location, defenses, exploration routes, and even Wagner’s spell repertoire, and I’m ready to present it to you.”

“I must also mention—your decision to recruit these fearless Fallen Stars was truly brilliant. Sending ordinary adventurers to explore such a forbidden zone would have required bounties exceeding thousands of gold coins. Yet you sent hundreds to their deaths at the negligible cost of ‘faction contributions.’”

Langpu’s report was peppered with flattery.

Hearing this, Cassius’s lazy eyes took on a hint of interest.

“Come to the hall and report in person. It’s time for us to act.”

“Yes, master.”

Without hesitation, Langpu activated a teleportation spell. A ripple of space heralded his arrival through a dimensional gate into the Council Hall.

Cassius temporarily lifted the domain to allow the ogre mage’s entry.

Kneeling before the red dragon, Langpu couldn’t help but marvel, “Master, your power is truly beyond imagination. To my humble senses, this space feels as though forged of solid steel. Ordinary spatial spells couldn’t even pierce a palm-sized hole.”

Cassius said nothing, merely studying Langpu.

The ogre mage’s physique remained robust, but his draconic features had grown more pronounced.

Previously clad in a patchwork of magical cloaks, Langpu had now refined them into a single crimson robe that nearly dragged on the ground. It shimmered with brilliant magical light, giving him a more dignified appearance.

Most striking were Langpu’s accessories.

Around his neck hung a necklace of nine pallid skulls, enough to make anyone shudder. Even Cassius’s lip twitched slightly at the eerie sight, evoking an odd sense of familiarity.

“Did this come from the River of Sands or something?”

Cassius mused silently, a bit speechless.

Opening his interface, he saw names like 【Shroud’s Wisdom】, 【Raul’s Wisdom】, and 【Vadra’s Wisdom】 displayed on the skulls, most of which were rare or uncommon items.

Recalling Langpu’s thorough reports, Cassius naturally guessed their origin.

As expected, before Cassius could ask, Langpu proactively explained.

“Master, after interrogating those mages, I found their schemes insidious and their motives vile. Unable to tolerate it, I killed them.”

“Unfortunately, their intellect wasn’t sufficient to craft something as perfect as before. Even stacking their enhancements didn’t yield the same results. Only Shroud’s skull proved somewhat effective.”

Langpu’s tone carried a trace of disappointment, as such creations weren’t easy to replicate.

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